Station: [7] Roman Burial Customs

Just as ancient Passau had a fort in each of the two provinces of Raetia and Noricum, there was also a cemetery on each side of the river Inn. The Law of the Twelve Tables, the core of the Roman constitution, stated that cemeteries could only be placed outside of a settlement. There were, however, some exceptions to this rule: in Rome itself, the emperor and his family could be buried in the city. Well-known burial sites are the Mausoleum of Augustus and Trajan’s Column. The few archaeological finds from Passau’s Roman cemeteries are exhibited in two display cases. The Raetian burial site was located in the area of the modern Rindermarkt. The cemetery in Noricum was situated not far away from here, about 150 metres east of the Roman Museum.